PlaneSense has selected Gogo Galileo satellite Wi-Fi for all 71 aircraft in its current Pilatus fleet, with future deliveries also covered by the commitment. The October 15 announcement covers 51 PC-12 turboprops and 20 PC-24 jets.
“With Gogo Galileo, we are bringing reliable, high-performance bandwidth to our entire fleet,” said George Antoniadis, president and CEO of PlaneSense.
PC-24 upgrades start in October, followed by PC-12s
| Aircraft or milestone | Schedule |
|---|---|
| First Galileo-equipped PC-24 delivery | Late October 2026 |
| Existing PC-24 fleet installations | Begin alongside that delivery |
| Subsequent new PC-24 deliveries | Galileo installed at the factory |
| PC-12 installations | Begin November 2026 |
| Fleet-wide completion target | End of 2027 |
Installation is phased, so availability will vary across the fleet while the work is underway.
What Gogo Galileo changes onboard
Galileo connects aircraft through the Eutelsat OneWeb low Earth orbit satellite network. PlaneSense has chosen the compact HDX electronically steered antenna. The announcement says testing gave PlaneSense confidence that multiple passengers could stream video and join video meetings simultaneously.
The hardware’s suitability for smaller aircraft is central to the story. In its June 16 PC-12 certification announcement, Gogo described HDX as a lightweight, low-power antenna designed to provide high-speed, low-latency connectivity. The FAA supplemental type certificate was developed with Pilatus and Pro Star Aviation and covers multiple PC-12 variants, with availability for private and business operators as well as special-mission users.
That approval provides useful context for the planned turboprop installations. Satellite broadband is extending to aircraft whose missions and cabin sizes differ considerably from the large business jets traditionally associated with long-distance connectivity.
For passengers, the practical test will be whether they can keep working through a flight: opening cloud documents, staying on a meeting or sharing the connection with other travelers. The announcement did not disclose a contract value or a guaranteed per-passenger connection speed.
An upgrade to an established Wi-Fi service
PlaneSense already has a history of offering inflight internet. A February 2022 Gogo announcement said the operator’s PC-24 customers had been using AVANCE L3 connectivity since 2018. At that point, its entire jet fleet and 32 PC-12s were flying with active L3 systems, with the remaining turboprop installations due in the following weeks.
The Galileo commitment therefore builds on an existing service. The 2026 announcement does not specify whether PlaneSense will retain its air-to-ground connectivity alongside the satellite installation.
Why a common system matters for fractional owners
Fractional owners rely on an operator’s fleet to meet their travel needs, so consistency matters. An onboard feature is more useful when travelers can expect it across the aircraft they may be assigned, rather than having to plan around a small number of specially equipped tails.
The same logic applies to connectivity. A customer who expects to work during the flight needs to know what the available system can support. Bringing both Pilatus types onto a common platform should make that expectation easier to manage as the rollout progresses.
